Communication Studies, BA

Admission to the Communication Studies Major

Entering students interested in majoring in communication studies will be classified as pre-majors and will be advised by the department. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the communication studies major. To be admitted to major status (and become eligible to enroll in certain advanced courses), a pre-major must meet the following requirements:

Complete at least 30 hours of college credit, and
1. complete the university core English composition requirement with a grade of C or better in each course, and
2. complete COMM 1010 , COMM 2020 , COMM 2060 and COMM 2140 with a grade of C or better in each course.
Have a UNT grade point average of 2.5 or higher.

A student who has completed 90 hours with at least a 3.5 grade point average is eligible to write a Senior Honors Thesis. Students who elect this option are expected to complete their theses in the course of a single term/semester.

Degree Requirements

Hours Required and General/College Requirements:

A minimum of 120 semester hours, of which 42 must be advanced, and fulfillment of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree as specified in the “General University Requirements ” in the Academics section of this catalog and the College of Arts and Sciences requirements. Students wishing to major in communication studies should consult an advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Office, General Academic Building, Room 320F.

Major Requirements:

A total of 39 semester credit hours:

15 core hours:

Additional Requirements:

COMM 3010 may be taken concurrently with one other communication course; students may either take COMM 3010 concurrently with their final 2000-level pre-major course or their first enrollment in an upper-division course. If students elect to take COMM 3010 concurrently with their first upper-division course, they may select a course from the following:

COMM 3120 - Nonverbal Communication
COMM 3260 - Storytelling
COMM 3265 - Topics in Storytelling
COMM 3320 - Communication and Conflict Management
COMM 3720 - Small Group Communication
COMM 3760 - Performance Methods
COMM 3840 - Argumentation and Debate
COMM 3860 - Group Performance
COMM 3920 - Organizational Communication
(Students who do not complete COMM 3010 with a grade of C or better are prohibited from enrolling in other upper-division communication courses until they have completed COMM 3010 successfully.)

9 hours distributed, with one course taken from each of the following groups:

Group A:

Group B:

Group C:

3 hours of theory:

3 hours capstone experience:

COMM 4810 - Communication Research and Praxis

9 additional advanced hours in COMM chosen in consultation with an advisor.

Other Course Requirements:

None.

Minor Requirements:

Majors are required to complete a minor of at least 18 hours, including 6 advanced hours, from another department, or an interdisciplinary minor.

Electives:

Hours required for electives may vary based on course selection and the University Core Curriculum requirements. Electives may be required to satisfy the advanced hour requirement (42) and/or the minimum total hours required for the degree. For specific information see an academic advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Other Requirements:

Students majoring in communication studies are required to have a minimum grade of C in all COMM courses to graduate. Students must observe prerequisites for each COMM course. If a student registered for a course has not completed prerequisites for the course with a grade of C or better, the student is subject to being dropped from the course without notice. Prerequisites are listed with individual course descriptions.

Because of the high demand for many COMM courses, students who miss the first class day without prior consent of the instructor are subject to being dropped from the course so that other students may be added. It is the student’s responsibility to secure prior consent of the instructor.